The Falling Puzzle
by Scarecrow Lullaby
Summary: Scarecrow has left Jonathan once in for all. A final act of desperation to bring his counter part back finds him standing on the roof top next to the bat signal looking down over the city. Will the Riddler and the Batman arrive in time to calm him down? Slight Scarecrow/Riddler fluff. Sequal to "The Scarecrow Riddle". Rated T just in case.


******A/N: **This is a sequel to my story "The Scarecrow Riddle". It isn't necessary to read that first, though it may help explain a few details more clearly.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Batman, Scarecrow, or the Riddler. The belong to DC Comics. I do, however, own this story.

I hope you enjoy! (:

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**Falling Feathers**

A single feather drifted down through the air as the traffic far below continued to move about without noticing. Multicolored lights reflected off of its black surface, imitating the city underneath it. Dark cerulean eyes tracked the movement of the object as it fell. Soon, not soon enough, he would join it. He need only wait a short time longer.

The sound of feet against the metal rungs of the fire escape ladder drew a small amount of the man's attention away from the descending feather and he wrenched his eyes away to ensure it was whom he expected. A flash of green reassured him that it was indeed the man he had met so long ago on a stormy night, and not Batman arriving before his cue.

Batman, just the thought of the man sent a shiver of thrilling fear down his spine. How Jonathan loathed and admired the man. He was the only thing that could terrify the self proclaimed King of Fear – and Jonathan couldn't get enough of the feeling. That was over now, though. He wouldn't be dealing with the Batman after tonight. No, after tonight he wouldn't be dealing with anyone anymore.

The green clad figure, now fully standing on the roof, made a soft sound of anxiousness and took a hesitant step towards him. The man, the Prince of Puzzles, opened his mouth to speak, to attempt to reason with the man he thought he had brought light too, only to be silenced before he could begin.

"You solved my riddle."

The words hung in the air silently Jonathan and the Riddler faced each other across the rooftop.

"Of course, I am the Prince of Puzzles, after all."

Jonathan nodded softly in reply to the statement - it was true, the man had never failed to solve any riddle or puzzle before. Silence hung between them now, thick and suffocating like the darkness that crowded over Jonathan's mind.

"He hasn't come back," Jonathan finally whispered. The words were laced with more sorrow and desperation than should have been humanly possible to fit into four words. "Scarecrow has left me for good this time."

A soft sigh carried on the wind to meet Jonathan's ears. The sound of traffic and stereos with too much bass drifted up from the streets so far under them. Footsteps echoed off of the walls as the puzzler approached him.

"Why don't you just come back with me? We can watch those old horror films you like so much and I'll find something hot for us to eat. We don't know that he isn't coming back, Johnny." A warm hand landed softly against Jonathan's left arm, the one angled out over the city, as if to hold him back and comfort him at the same time.

"It doesn't matter. The signal has been up for longer than necessary; he'll be here soon. Batman will find us and throw us back into Arkham… Throw me back into Arkham since you've reformed." A shudder ran over Jonathan's entire being at the thought of returning to Arkham, he never wanted to go back to that place. The only thing worse than being in Arkham was losing Scarecrow, and now that that had happened he would rather face his death than return.

As if on cue, the sound of a cape fluttering ever so slightly could be heard by both men. Jonathan's eyes went dim; he wasn't going back there. He only wanted to say farewell to the only thing that terrified him before he left. The hand on his arm tightened, trying to tug him closer to the body it was attached to. A smirk played over the corners of Jonathan's mouth, he had made his last remaining friend afraid.

"Crane." The growl the name was spoken in made it sound evil, as if all the world's faults had stemmed from that single syllable.

Edward ignored the newest arrival to the seen and forced Jonathan to meet his eyes. He was becoming desperate; he knew that any moment he would loose his chance. It didn't matter that Batman was there, that he would simply dive over the edge and haul Jonathan back up; if Jonathan got that far he would never come back to them. He would be there physically, but his mind would be gone for good.

"Johnny, darling," the rarely used nickname seemed to catch the man's attention enough for him to not focus on the city below. "It doesn't matter if he's gone, we'll get through it. It will be just like that first barrier we overcame when I found you in the pouring rain in the middle of an alley. We can do this."

Batman remained silent throughout the Riddler's short speech; he had no doubt assessed the delicacy of the situation and realized his role. While he wanted nothing more than to clear the streets of Gotham of all crime, he also wanted to help all of its citizens – even the ones who threatened it. If that meant letting him stay out of Arkham while being surveyed, he could learn to live with that.

Jonathan's face was illuminate in an eerie way by the fluorescent lights coming from underneath. His eyes were in shadow, but the Joker like smile on his face was enough to make even the Batman's blood chill.

"He's not coming back, he will never come back. I will go home with you, but you and I both know that tonight is the night I died."

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**A/N:** This was written at around 4 AM this morning, so forgive me if there are any obsessive spelling errors or fuzzy parts. I went through and patched it up as well as I could, but I have a feeling I missed some.

As always, thank you for reading and reviews and favorites are loved!


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